BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Four lawyers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were in Negros Occidental over the weekend to assist the family of a fisherman who was killed in boat collision off the coast of Escalante City.
Captain Eduardo De Luna, PCG-Southern Visayas director, said the lawyers were with a group requested by PCG-Negros Occidental chief Lieutenant Commander Jansen Benjamin.
They would be part of the Maritime Casualty Investigation team.
According to De Luna, the lawyers will serve as consultants to the bereaved family of Je-ar Caspe.
“Since Caspe’s family are deep in poverty and are unable to afford a lawyer, we will help protect their rights,” De Luna said.
De Luna made the request and immediately got the approval from PCG commandant Admiral George Ursabia Jr.
Based on information obtained by Panay News, only one shipping company is serving out of the Sagay City port and is operating roll-on, roll-off services between the city and the town of Tabuelan in Cebu.
The PCG district director, however, requested that it not be named yet due to the ongoing investigation.
De Luna cited the initial findings made by investigators from the PCG sub-station in Escalante City.
“They are gathering further evidence on the incident, and it will be up to the Maritime Casualty Investigation team to finish the rest of the investigation before being forwarded to the court,” De Luna added.
Meanwhile, to avoid future sea mishaps involving shipping companies and fishermen in the southern Visayas district, De Luna said they are planning to conduct an educational campaign to fishermen in the region, teaching them basics of maritime navigation and safety.
They will also start requiring fishermen in the region to make their boats well-lighted to easily identifiable to other vessels.
“Some of the fishermen in the region are not trained to read the running lights of the vessels,” he said.
Studies will also be conducted to see if installing more buoys off the coast of Negros will help both fishermen and other vessels plying the seas in the region to identify shipping lanes./PN
